D3 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated: The Man Crab Strikes!
by wsdsrdbw4096
Summary: This story is a rewrite of Revenge of the Man Crab and sequel to Secret of the Ghost Rig and fifth entry of my reboot of SDMI. Warning: Some ranting in the first chapter. Please read and review! Formerly shares the same title as the said episode.
1. Prologue

**Author's note: And now, my revision of _Revenge of the Man Crab_. Fifth episode of my reboot of SDMI.**

 **One thing to take note is that this episode is the first of the episodes where the culprit and motive is going to be completely different in the revision than in the original episode, mainly because the motive doesn't make any sense at all.**

 **Like, why on earth will someone take the costume of a monster man crab and randomly kidnap plenty of people just because his/her idea for a drink was stolen? Doesn't seem realistic or makes any sense to me at all.**

 **Some bit of a background here: This episode was the first episode of the series I've watched, and I was rather bothered by the darkness and lack of humour at that time when I first watched it, particularly with the to-be-continued type ending, which I now can care less about, since how can there be an arc for a subplot if there's no to-be-continued type ending? However, the main thing that annoyed me about the episode is Fred. Like, was that necessary to be that desperate? Sure, I know Daphne got kidnapped, and he must've been traumatized by the sight, but, well, let's just say that those scenes with Fred trying to dig gave me a facepalm.**

 **I apologize for the ranting, thought I need to spill out what I think of the original series, hence the reason why I'm doing the reboot. I can see the idea behind the series, particularly with the mystery subplot-arc, has a lot of potential. However, the crude humour, lack of common sense and the stupidity of the characters, the gang's new characters and the plot holes and lack of realism ruined it, especially the romance.**

 **For a while, I had considered Fred/Daphne a natural pairing and could care less about it during the WNSD-era. As for Shaggy/Velma, well, even before the series started, I could never picture them together, although I was actually open to the idea especially after seeing an online video from the series showing the two in love.**

 **Unfortunately, when it came down to the series, I was rather annoyed by how the romance was portrayed.**

 **Trap-obsessed Fred and spoiled Daphne, who is clearly obsessed with Fred: Seriously? I can't see a relationship like that lasting long. As a matter a fact, the way the Fred/Daphne pairing was portrayed in this series, along with the post-2010 DTVs, contributed to my decision not to use the pairing in my stories.**

 **As for Shaggy/Velma: I don't get why they use Velma to drive a wedge between Shaggy and Scooby, or rather, why was it necessary to pit Shaggy against Scooby? In fact, the series further eroded my interest in using the pairing in any of my stories, especially after I discovered the Shaggy/Daphne forum on this site and rewatched the older series, hence the reason why my reboot is geared towards Shaggy/Daphne and Fred/Velma.**

 **Again, I apologize for the ranting. I felt that I need to spill out some of my thoughts and opinions on the series. If any of you disagree with what I just said, feel free to leave it in the reviews or PM me, on the condition that there is ABSOLUTELY NO FLAMING AND SWEARING. If there is flaming and swearing, then I will have it removed and block you if you're a user of this site. End of story.**

 **I don't own _Scooby-Doo_. Hanna-Barbera Productions and Warner Bros. does.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Prologue and the tournament

 _April 20, 2012_

It was a warm evening down at the Crystal Cove beach, and the Crystal Cove Central High School female beach volleyball team were finishing their daily practice for tomorrow's tournament against their rival: Rovenburg High School.

After finishing their practice, the team headed home to call it a night with the team captain being the last one to leave the deserted beach.

As she changes back to her normal outfit in the public washroom near the beach, a large, giant claw started appearing on the surface of the sand like a shark fin appearing on the surface of the water and moved towards the washroom.

Finishing her changing, the team captain made her way out, just in time to see the giant claw heading towards her.

"Yah!" She exclaimed and took off, running for the parking lot as the claw gives chase.

She was lucky to make it to the pavement, which was too hard for the claw to slice through.

Upon realizing that it can't reach her, the claw gave up and retreated back into the beach, just as another unsuspecting girl walks by.

Seeing the girl, the team captain shouted, "Janet, look out!"

The girl, named Janet, upon hearing the team captain's warning, turned and saw the claw heading towards her.

"Yikes!" She exclaimed and tried to run, only to trip over a rock and leading the claw to grab her in the ankle.

"Help!" Janet exclaimed as she was dragged into the sand by the claw while the team captain quickly hurried over to grab her and try to pull her back onto the surface.

However, the claw was too strong, and before she knew it, Janet was dragged under the sand.

* * *

 _April 21, 2012_

That morning, the newspaper had the following headline:

"CLAWS

Star CCCHS female beach volleyball team member dragged under beach sand by mysterious giant claw on night before today's beach volleyball tournament"

"Like, poor Janet." Shaggy remarked as he read the paper as Fred drove the Mystery Machine, driving the gang to the tournament. "She's the school's best chance against Rovenburg."

"Indeed, Shag." Fred nodded. "Rovenburg has been training hard for this season and are only too happy to beat us in the tournament."

"Yeah." Daphne agreed. "I wonder if that claw is some prank pulled by the students from Rovenburg."

"I won't be surprised if that's the case." Velma said. "Our school has a large rivalry against Rovenburg since the Crystal Cove Institute of Education split in 1940 with the construction and opening of its Rovenburg campus, which later became Rovenburg High School, while the original campus in downtown Crystal Cove became Crystal Cove Central High School."

"Well, gang, all of this discussion made me think that we've got another mystery on our hands." Fred says as they approached the beach.

Upon hearing Fred's last remark, Shaggy and Scooby both swallowed, particularly after reading Mr. E's latest warning.

* * *

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	2. The tournament begins

Chapter 2: The tournament begins

After parking the Mystery Machine at the parking lot, the gang got off with Shaggy and Scooby heading for the Clam Cabin for some snacks.

The duo entered the Clam Cabin through the door, where they then ordered some fish and chips, along with Skipper Sheldon's famous roasted clams.

Fred and the girls soon joined them in the dining area of the Cabin, where Shaggy passed his fish and chips to Daphne while he and Scooby enjoyed their roasted clams.

"Wow." Fred remarked as he watched Shaggy and Scooby eating. "Those roasted clams sure looks delicious. You should try them, Daphne."

"Uh, no thanks." Daphne replied. "I'm allergic to shelled seafood."

"Like, don't remind me of your time at your sister Donna's wedding, Daph." Shaggy said after he swallowed. "Not after you ended up in the hospital for two weeks."

"What happened?" Velma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It was horrible and painful." Daphne replied. "But I'll rather not talk about it while we're in a dining setting."

Soon, the gang made their way out of the Clam Cabin after some orders of fish burgers and headed for the stands where the beach volleyball tournament is about to take place.

During this time, Fred decided to ask Daphne about what Shaggy was talking about.

"What happened at your sisters wedding that led to you staying at the hospital for two weeks, Daph?" He asked.

"Well, during the wedding meal at the reception, some careless waiter accidentally spilled some clams after he tripped over while walking behind me." Daphne replied. "It wouldn't be that bad if those clams didn't end up on me."

"Like, long story short." Shaggy said. "Poor Daphne suffered a severe allergic reaction and ended up staying in the hospital for two weeks."

"Oh, my." Velma remarked. "It must be painful."

"It sure was." Daphne nodded. "What's worse is that I miss out on the fun during the wedding ceremony, such as trying out Donna's spacesuit and playing with the space simulators."

"That's too bad." Fred said.

As he made the remark, they walked past Principal Shore, who was trying to reason with the tournament sponsor on cancelling the tournament until the beach is determined to be safer.

"There's no way I'll ever put my students lives at risk, Mr. Coleman." The principal of Crystal Cove Central High School said to the sponsor. "Not after the school's best player was kidnapped by that giant claw below the beach grounds. I want this tournament to be suspended until we found Janet O'Hurley."

"Well, too bad, Mr. Shore." The principal of Rovenburg High School, Peter Trickell, replied. "My school's team has been practicing hard in beating your school in the tournament, and besides, all of the spectators will be disappointed when the tournament is cancelled."

"Not to mention that my company will lose money if we cancel this tournament in the last minute." The sponsor, Brendan "Bud" Coleman, who's the chair of Coleman's Fountain Drinks, added.

"And besides, this whole thing is probably just a prank, Mr. Shore." The sheriff Bronson Stone added. "Maybe Rovenburg High School was getting even with your school for beating them in the state finals last season."

"Hmph." Shore snorted, not liking the sound of this. "I still don't like it. Not at all. Besides, what will happen if the claw grabs one of your students, Mr. Tickell?"

"Huh. That won't happen, Mr. Shore." Trickell replied confidently. "All I care about is seeing my school winning this tournament."

During the conversation, the gang stopped and listened.

"I still can't believe the sheriff wouldn't demand that this tournament be placed on hold." Principal Shore raised his arms frustratingly as he walked away from the meeting after his requests for the tournament be put on hold has fallen into deaf ears.

"Well, what should we do then, Principal Shore?" The team captain asked.

As the principal pondered on what to do, the gang walked over to him and the team captain.

"Uh, Principal Shore, sir?" Fred asked as he and the gang walked over.

"Ah, Mr. Jones." Shore replied when he turned and saw the gang walking towards him. "What bring you kids here? Cheering on our school, I suppose."

"Yes, sir." Velma nodded. "But we're quite worried about what might happen to the beach volleyball team, sir."

"Oh yes, that." Shore's face frowned. "That short-sighted sheriff refused to order the tournament be put on hold, even after what had happened to Janet O'Hurley the night before."

"Even worse is that he believes that the claw appearance must be a prank, pulled by the students of Rovenburg High." The team captain added.

"Like, I sure will like to know how that slime ball got elected in the first place." Shaggy remarked under his breath.

"Well, what should we do, sir?" Daphne asked.

Principal Shore thought for a while before saying, "Well, I guess business should go on. But, I'll like you to tell the girls to be extra vigilant, particularly with their surroundings, Miss Cohn."

"Uh, Principal Shore, perhaps we can be of assistance?" Fred asked the principal.

Turning to the gang, the school principal thought for a while. Like many of the people in town, he knew about the gang's exploits in mystery-solving.

Finally, he nodded. "Certainly, Mr. Jones. You five will be on the lookout for anything suspicious during the tournament and alert our team if there's any danger."

"Great idea, sir." Daphne smiled.

"Yeah." Shaggy agreed. "Like, we wanted Central to win this tournament, and we'll be happy to do anything to keep our schoolmates safe."

The team captain smiled. "Thanks for the help, guys. I don't know how will things turn out if it weren't for you guys."

"Ah, no worries, Janice." Velma replied with a smile. "That's the spirit of the Crystal Cove Central Fighting Urchins."

"Yeah!" Fred agreed. "We work together and fight for our goals and never give up."

Principal Shore smiled and nodded at his students as the referee blew the whistle, signalling the two teams to come onto the tournament grounds.

* * *

Soon, the tournament was well underway, with two students on each side of the net while the other team members stood by at their respective sides.

Shaggy was seated between Scooby and Daphne in the stands, while Fred and Velma were on the row above them.

Fred was holding a pair of binoculars, looking around to see if there's anything suspicious.

"Anything suspicious, Freddie?" Velma asked as the tournament got started.

"Hmmm..." Fred replied as he looked around. "Nothing yet, Velms."

It was then that the ball fired from the Crystal Cove Central side of the net sailed over the net, but as the students from the Rovensburg side scrambles to get it, the ground started shaking.

"Huh?" Velma asked. "What's going on?"

"Zoinks, look!" Shaggy shouted as he saw something.

On the beach field, they saw a pile of dirt moving as the volleyball sailed towards the Rovensburg side.

Then, suddenly, the ball is caught by a giant claw that appeared out from the ground, with the claw closing in on the ball and squished and popped it broken.

"Jeepers!" Daphne exclaimed as a giant, monstrous-looking crab emerged from the sand after its claw crushed the ball.

The students on both sides of the net looked in horror as the monster showed himself.

"Jinkies, I don't believe it!" Velma exclaimed. "It's the Man Crab!"

"Man Crab?" Fred asked, still looking through the binoculars that were zoomed it too close towards the beach itself. "Where?"

The Man Crab then roared and hissed at the students, leading them to run off the field.

* * *

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	3. Another kidnapping

Chapter 3: Another kidnapping

The gang looked on in shock as the Man Crab hisses and looks around.

The audience around them started to move away from their seats and ran off.

The Man Crab then saw the gang in their seats and it managed to grow out two pairs of feet.

"Like, let's get out of here, gang!" Shaggy shouted as the monster started to charge towards them.

"Where's the Man Crab?" Fred asked, still looking through his binoculars.

As the blonde looked around through the zoomed-in lenses, he didn't see his friends running off.

Just then, the Man Crab approached Fred, who's still in his seat, and roared.

"Huh?" Fred inquired before putting down his binoculars and saw the Man Crab towering over him with its eyes looking at him menacingly.

"Uh...want this?" Fred asked as he handed his binoculars to the monster as he grinned nervously.

The Man Crab responded by roaring loudly at him, grabbed the binoculars and snapped them with his claws.

Before Fred could respond, Velma returned and grabbed his hand before pulling him out of harms way just as the Man Crab smashes its claw at the seats, barely missing Fred.

"Let's get out of here, Freddie!" Velma shouted as she and Fred ran off to join the others, with the Man Crab in close pursuit.

As the Man Crab chased the gang and three small children that were ahead of them, it decided to smash through the wooden floor boards and dug a hole.

Seconds later, as the gang raced past a section of bleachers, the Man Crab dug itself out from its tunnel as it unsuccessfully tries to grab the gang with its claw before resuming the chase.

Closely behind the gang, the Man Crab saw a wide loose wooden board and slams its claw on it, leading the gang and the three children to be catapulted into the air.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed as they sailed through the air.

Seeing their schoolmates and the three children in trouble, the Crystal Cove Central High School beach volleyball team grabbed the ruins of the volleyball net and used it as a make-shift fireman's net before racing off to the point where the eight were about to land.

Shaggy and Scooby were the first to land in the net, followed by Daphne, who landed on their arms/paws in a manner similar to an acrobatic performer landing on his/her teammates arms.

Fred and Velma weren't as fortunate. Fred landed headfirst in the sand with his head buried in the soft sand while Velma landed right on top of him.

She and Daphne then managed to stretch their arms in time for them to catch the three children.

"Umph!" Fred exclaimed, the upper-half of his body and his head still buried in the sand in a manner similar to an ostrich burying its head in the sand in myths.

After getting the children off their arms, Velma and Daphne then tried to pull Fred out of the sand.

However, Shaggy and Scooby spotted the Man Crab about to sneak up on their friends.

Looking around, they saw several volleyballs nearby and thought of something.

Just as the Man Crab was about to sneak up on Fred and the girls, a volleyball suddenly appeared out of nowhere and hit its chest.

The monster growled as it looked up and saw Shaggy and Scooby, both dressed as Spanish soldiers from the colonial era, in the distance with an ancient cannon.

"Like, FIRE away!" Shaggy ordered as his swing his sword in a fashion similar to that of a military commander as he orders his soldiers to fire the cannon.

Scooby mock-saluted him before loading another volleyball into the cannon and fired it.

The Man Crab tries to duck as Shaggy and Scooby fires more volleyballs towards it.

However, its claw then managed to catch one of them and flatten it.

Shaggy and Scooby both grinned nervously as the monster approaches them.

The Man Crab then charges towards the duo, who quickly abandoned their costumes and race off.

During this time, Velma and Daphne managed to free Fred, who's got sand covered on his face.

"You sure look like you can use a shower, Freddie." Daphne commented.

Fred sighed just as Shaggy and Scooby joined them as the Man Crab leaps into the air and then smashes through the bleachers, leaving behind a large hole.

As the gang grouped together to survey the damage, Fred says, "That monster sure leaves behind a lot of damage. I'm going to go check out the bleachers."

"Uh, Freddie, I don't think you should..." Velma was about to say something when a pile of dirt and sand started moving towards them.

"Gangway!" Shaggy shouted as they quickly leaped out of the way, in time for it to pass through, destroy the volleyball net and zigzag through the beach.

After some zigzagging and mowing down a few people that were running off, the monster resurfaced just as the school beach volleyball team captain Janice ran into it while trying to run off.

Seeing the monster in front of her, Janice screamed as the claw grabbed her.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy shouted. "The Man Crab's grabbed Janice!"

"Quick!" Velma said. "Let's go!"

The gang chased after the monster as it dragged Janice into the sand before resurfacing and leaped into the stands and eventually ended up on top of a nearby tent housing the lockers.

Seeing the gang approaching, the Man Crab used one of its feet to carve out a hole in the tent roof and leaped into it.

Approaching the tent, Fred said to the gang. "On the signal, gang, we jump in and grab the monster!"

Everyone else nodded as Fred prepares to tear the tent entrance open.

The blonde tear the entrance open with a grin, but his face expression fell when they all found no one in the tent.

"It's gone!" Daphne exclaimed as they looked towards the lockers. "And so is Janice!"

* * *

Moments later, the gang were accompanying their school principal as he met with the sheriff, Mr. Trickell and Mr. Coleman.

"See what just happened?" Principal Shore asked the three men. "Does this convince you to postpone the volleyball tournament?"

"Yeah!" Shaggy agreed. "Like, I don't think anyone will like their volleyball tournament be interrupted by that creepy crab monster!"

"Not to mention that you're putting the lives of our schoolmates, as well as the competing team, at risk, Mr. Coleman." Daphne added.

"And don't you even think of referring to that Man Crab as a 'tourist attraction', sheriff." Velma said. "Because we're getting sick of hearing that phrase."

"Well, kids, it's not a tourist attraction." Stone replied. "Rather, it's more of a prank pulled by students from Rovenburg. Period."

"Yeah, and besides, when you've got the idea of a monster showing up in a show." Bud added. "You can get some excitement, and more excitement means more money at the event."

"In addition, your students are your problem, Shore." Mr. Trickell added. "Not mine."

Shaggy rolled his eyes as if he was saying, "You've got to be kidding me."

"Well, what will you do if your students were the ones that got kidnapped, Principal Trickell?" Fred asked. "What will you do then?"

"That won't happen." Trickell replied. "That monster is your problem to deal with, not mine."

"So are you telling me that I'm wasting your time to try to convince you to postpone the tournament?" Shore asked.

"Not only was it a waste of time, Mr. Shore, but it was also a waste of my money." Bud replied.

"Yeah." The sheriff agreed. "It's only a prank. Nothing to worry about, and besides, I'm sure that the kidnapped students will return soon."

With that last remark, he, Mr. Coleman and Mr. Trickell walked away.

* * *

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	4. Undercover work and another victim

Chapter 4: Undercover work and another victim

"I can't believe those boneheads won't listen to your pleas, Principal Shore!" Fred raised his arms in frustration after the meeting was adjoined.

"No kidding." The school principal nodded. "The lives of our students are put to risk and they still wouldn't listen!"

"Well, the sheriff suggested that it may be a prank pulled by the students of Rovensburg." Velma pointed out. "Maybe we should check them out."

"Sure, but how are we going to do it?" Shaggy asked. "Like, I'm pretty sure our rivals won't answer to us if we are to ask them questions relating to the Man Crab, and if we put someone undercover to their side of the bleachers, they might recognize us."

Just then, the gang all looked at him and Scooby with strange looks on their faces.

Seeing the devilish looks in their smiles, the duo swallowed.

"Hey, don't look at me." Shaggy said nervously.

"Reah." Scooby agreed. "Ron't look at me."

"Scooby." Velma said. "If you and Shaggy agree to go over to Rovenburg's side of the bleachers and disguise yourselves as trash cans while spying on the students, I'll let you eat out at the Clam Cabin whenever we visit the beach, even if you guys should be eating healthier."

Scooby thought for a while before nodding. "Roaky. I'll ro rit."

"Like, bribing me with visits to the Clam Cabin won't work with me." Shaggy said. "You're going to have to think of something else."

"How about a Shaggy Snack?" Daphne asked as she revealed a triple-decker sandwich. "A little something I whipped up for you."

"Like, a Shaggy Snack?" Shaggy asked, showing interest in the sandwich as Daphne revealed it.

"Yes." Daphne smiled. "It's got your favourite toppings piled up into one tall sandwich here, with meatloaf slices, lettace, pepperoni slices, tomato slices, all topped off with chocolate sauce and maple syrup."

"Like, I'll do it!" Shaggy smiled. "Let's roll!"

Scooby nodded as he joined Shaggy and got down to work.

* * *

On the Rovenburg side of the bleachers, the students were chatting about the tournament.

"I sure can't wait to see our team giving Central the kick." One of the students said.

"Yeah, if only that monster crab didn't interrupt the tournament, we probably would've been in a lead by now." Another student said.

"Boy, and the sheriff mentioned that one of us may be pulling the stunt to kidnap those girls from Central's team." A third student added.

"Us pulling the stunt?" The first student asked. "That sounds ridiculous. Why will we go through the trouble of building that costume just to kidnap the team members of Central's beach volleyball team?"

"Yeah." The second student agreed. "Central may be our rivals and they may have kidnapped our school mascot in a match several years ago, but this isn't the way we will get even with them. Maybe kidnap their mascot, but no way will we ever pull this mindless prank."

Overhearing the conversation while hiding in nearby empty trash cans, Shaggy turned to Scooby.

"Like, doesn't sound like they have the motive to pull this stunt, Scooby." Shaggy whispered.

"Reah." Scooby nodded.

* * *

"So I guess that crosses our crosstown rivals off our suspect list." Velma remarked after Shaggy and Scooby gave them a resume on what they had overheard.

"Yeah." Fred nodded. "What do you think we should do, now?"

"I'll like to take a closer look at the locker tent, where the Man Crab disappeared at." Daphne said. "The Man Crab must have figured out a way to make his getaway without leaving behind a trace."

"Locker tent!" Shaggy exclaimed. "There should some good clue laying in there!"

"Then, what are we waiting for?" Fred asked. "Let's go!"

* * *

Soon, the gang enters the locker tent as workers work to patch up the roof.

"Alright." Fred said as they entered the tent. "Let's see if we can find a clue around here."

The gang searched around, finding nothing important but a locker filled with sand.

"That locker is filled with sand." Daphne pointed out. "And look at the nameplate on the locker."

Fred leaned down to read the name. "Skipper Shelton."

"Could he be behind the Man Crab?" Velma asked.

"Like, there's no way will I ever believe that Skipper Shelton did this." Shaggy says. "He is the type of the jealous husband that never entertains the thought of cheating on his wife, so why will he kidnap our schoolmates?"

"Well, perhaps he was the student playing the mascot of Rovenburg High when it got kidnapped by our school years ago." Velma offered. "Maybe he was seeking to get even with our school by pulling the stunt."

"Yeah." Fred nodded. "I caught a glimpse of his graduation certificate from Rovenburg while we were in the Clam Cabin."

Shaggy nodded, but he wasn't convinced.

"I don't know." Shaggy said. "I'm pretty sure there's more than meets the eye here, Velma."

During this time, Daphne decided to take a look around near the entrance to the tent, hoping to find something.

Unbeknownst to her, the familiar-looking red claw was fast approaching her from behind.

"Well, there's nothing else around here that could give us a clue." Fred sighed. "I guess we should think of something else."

Shaggy, Scooby and Velma all nodded as they exited the tent.

However, Scooby then saw the giant red claw fast approaching Daphne outside the tent.

"Raphne!" Scooby exclaimed. "Rook out!"

"Huh?" Daphne looked up and when she saw Scooby's panicked look, she turned and saw the claw. "Jeepers!"

"Like, run Daphne!" Shaggy shouted as he and Scooby quickly rushed over to try to grab her out of harms way.

However, the claw was able to grab Daphne and pull her into the sand.

"Jeepers! Help!" Daphne shouted as her friends quickly rushed to her aid with Shaggy and Scooby grabbing onto her arms to try to pull her out.

"Like, hang on, Daph!" Shaggy shouted as he and Scooby pulled with all their mights.

Unfortunately, their pulling did little to deter the Man Crab from dragging Daphne into the sand and they soon found themselves being dragged towards where Daphne is being dragged into the sand.

"Help!" Daphne exclaimed before she was dragged under.

"Daphne! No!" Shaggy shouted as he and Scooby were forced to let go and witnessed Daphne disappearing under the sand.

Scooby quickly started digging furiously in the sand, but he soon gave up when it was apparent that there was nothing below the surface but more sand.

"Roh no." Scooby whimpered as Shaggy, Fred and Velma's face expressions fell.

* * *

 **Oh no! Daphne's been dragged under the sand by the Man Crab? What will happen next? Will she be rescued? And more importantly, what has the Man Crab have in store for her and its other victims?**

 **Stay tuned, and please read and review!**


	5. The disappearance of the Mysteries Five

Chapter 5: The Mysteries Five's disappearance

Shaggy and Scooby were in a depressed mood after their failure to rescue Daphne from the Man Crab.

"Cheer up, guys." Fred says. "I'm sure we can figure out a way to find and rescue Daphne."

"Like, that's easier said than done, Freddie." Shaggy replied with a sigh. "We don't even know where she may have ended up!"

"I believe I may be able to help you with that." A voice suddenly said.

As the four turned and looked, they saw Skipper Sheldon walking towards them.

"Where could Daphne and the kidnapped girls be, Mr. Sheldon?" Velma asked.

"I've been running the Cabin for the past twenty years, mates, and this isn't the first time people has disappeared at the beach, near the caves." The restaurant owner replied.

"You mean that other people have disappeared at the beach before, Mr. Sheldon?" Fred asked.

"That's right." Sheldon nodded before seeing a line-up to his cabin and added, "I'd better return to the Cabin."

After watching Skipper returning to the Cabin to tend to his costumers, Fred turned to the gang, minus Daphne, and said, "Well, gang, I smell a trip to the library coming up."

"Like, what about the caves?" Shaggy asked. "Shouldn't we check it out?"

"Well, if he is indeed the Man Crab, Shaggy, he might be luring us into a trap of sorts." Fred says. "Let's hold off until we get a better lay of the land."

Shaggy and Scooby nodded silently, but they still longed to find Daphne as they followed Fred and Velma to the Mystery Machine.

* * *

A short time later, the gang arrived at the main public library.

After arriving at the archives section of the library, Fred says, "Alright, guys, let's split up and see if we can find anything useful that may help us with the Man Crab."

Shaggy, Scooby and Velma all nodded before they split up, with Velma joining Fred as they searched one area of the archive while Shaggy and Scooby searched another area.

 **(Shaggy and Scooby)**

As the duo searched through the archives, Shaggy sighed.

"I wish we had did something before that Man Crab grabbed Daphne, Scoob." He said.

"Reah." Scooby agreed. "Ri only hope the Ran Crab isn't doing anything terrible to her ror the rother girls."

Shaggy nodded as they searched through the articles until his eyes caught onto something.

"Hey, like, what's this?" He inquired as he pulled out a news article, which was dated from 1987.

The article was titled: "MYSTERIES FIVE BAND DISAPPEARS

Treasure-hunting and adventure-seeking band last seen near Crystal Cove Caves"

Scanning the news article, Shaggy picked out the names of the Mysteries Five band: Ronald "Ronnie" Jones, Linda Owens, her twin brother Ricky "W.W" Owens, Kelly Summers and Professor "Knows Too Much" Pericles.

"Zoinks, Scoob!" Shaggy said as he showed Scooby the news article.

Scooby read a few sentences before nodding. "Rand Daphne discovered the locket with Ronald rand Rinda at the caves!"

Shaggy nodded as his mind flashed through what they had discovered so far, related to Mr. E's warning.

SHAGGY'S FLASH VISION

Picturing the Mysteries Five in the caves, Shaggy had no problem picturing something catastrophic occurring in the caves.

From the cave shadows, he watched Linda and Ronnie dropping the locket as they ran away.

He then flashed forward last month when Daphne picked up the locket while they were checking out the caves.

Watching Daphne picking up the locket, Shaggy had no trouble picturing the locket as having been lying on the cave ground for decades.

END OF FLASH VISION

"Like, the locket Daph's found must be the one that Ronnie and Linda had dropped when their gang checked out the caves before disappearing, Scoob." Shaggy said.

"Reah, ronly what were they at the caves for?" Scooby inquired.

Remembering the pizza-shaped symbol in Mr. E's latest message to him, Scooby and Daphne, Shaggy replied, "Like, maybe that pizza-shaped symbol on Mr. E's latest message to us may give us an answer."

Scooby nodded just as Velma called, "Shag, Scooby! Come over! Freddie and I discovered something."

"Like, coming!" Shaggy said as he and Scooby went over to join their friends.

Soon, they regrouped as Fred showed them something of interest.

"Check out this news article, gang." Fred says. "It's dated from about 10 years ago."

The gang leaned over to look. It was a news article on the firing of a Crystal Cove Central High School beach volleyball coach, along with mentioning of the coach's involvement in a fraud ring and a school-related scandal.

"Zoinks, and look who fired the coach!" Shaggy said when he saw a name.

Everyone looked towards where Shaggy was pointed at.

"Head of P.E. James Shore!" Velma exclaimed. "Jinkies! That's before he was made vice principal!"

"Yeah, and he testified at the former coach's fraud trial, which led to him being sentenced to eight years in prison." Fred added.

There was some silence as the gang contemplated the latest development.

"You know, I think that this mystery is starting to add up." Velma said.

"Yes, but I'm still puzzled by those disappearances Skipper Sheldon mentioned." Fred says. "He said that someone else has disappeared at the caves near the beach before."

"Like, I believe Scoob and I can answer that." Shaggy says as he pulled out the news article he discovered.

Fred and Velma leaned in and read about the disappearance of the Mysteries Five.

"Hold the phone!" Fred remarked. "Looks like we've got to check out the caves as you said, Shag."

"Yeah." Velma agreed. "Mr. E mentioned that we should've kept that locket in the caves, so there's clearly something going on at the caves."

"Like, then what are we waiting for?" Shaggy asked. "Let's go! Daphne could be in there!"

Everyone else nodded in agreement before they set off for the Mystery Machine.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	6. The rescue

Chapter 6: The rescue

Later that evening, the gang arrived at the entrance to the caves near the beach.

"Like, I wonder why do we have to pick a time like this to explore the caves?" Shaggy wondered out loud. "It looks creepy inside when it's dark, but we've got to find Daphne and the others."

"Well, we'll be together, Shag." Fred says as they entered the caves with their flashlights on. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Rit's easy for you to say that." Scooby shivered.

As the four walked down the cave, they looked around, hoping to find a sign of the missing girls.

Just then, Velma's light shined onto something that casted a shadow that looked all too familiar and creating a scare.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy exclaimed when he recognized the shadow shape. "The Man Crab!"

"Ripe!" Scooby said as he leaped into Shaggy's arms, causing him to almost drop his flashlight.

There was suspense as the gang looked on as Velma took a closer look at the object that casted the shadow.

It was only a regular crab.

"It's only a regular crab, guys." She said. "Nothing to worry about."

Everyone sighed in relief as Scooby leaped off Shaggy's arms before proceeding to sniff at the crab.

However, the crab used its claw to pinch Scooby's nose, causing the Great Dane to yelp in pain before shaking his head to shake the crab off his nose.

After the close call, the gang carried on deeper into the caves.

"Keep quiet, guys." Fred says. "It could be dangerous down here, and watch where you shine your light at."

Shaggy, Scooby and Velma all nodded as they continued their walk.

As they walked on, Fred remarked, "I'm getting worried about Janice and the others. I hope they aren't being held at some...say, take a look at this, gang!"

As Fred was making the remark, his light shined onto what appeared to be a wooden stairway that leads up to the ceiling of the cave.

Looking towards where Fred's light was shining at, the others stopped as they followed Fred in getting a closer look at the stairway.

The stairway looked like those normally used by humans with a ladder at the top that reaches a doorway on the ceiling.

"Now, what kind of a crab-monster will have anything to do with these stairs?" Velma wondered.

"Like, beats me." Shaggy said. "I just hope we can...hey wait a second, gang. I think I just heard something."

Everyone quieted down as Shaggy made the last remark.

"Listen." He whispered before pointing deeper into the caves beyond the stairway and added. "That voice, it's coming from that way, and it sounds like Daphne!"

"Raphne?" Scooby asked. "Rhe and the others must be that way!"

Without hesitation, the gang rushed over as they follow Shaggy's lead.

Before long, they arrived at an underground pond, where the voices were coming from.

Right above the coastline of the pond hangs a large cage, and the occupants were Daphne, Janice and Janet!

"Like, Daphne!" Shaggy exclaimed as he looked up and saw his friend.

"Shaggy! Scooby!" Daphne said when she saw her friends. "Fred! Velma! Am I glad to see you guys!"

"What happened?" Fred asked.

"Well, we were dragged under the sand by that Man Crab." Janice said. "Then, everything went black and when we returned to our senses, we were locked up in this cage!"

"The cage bars look wide enough for you girls to fit through." Fred said.

"Yeah, but the cage is high above the shallow pond, Fred." Janet pointed out. "We will get hurt if we land in the pond below with its rocky bottom."

"Jinkies!" Velma said. "We've got to get you guys down!"

"But how?" Fred asked. "The cage's high above the rock-solid ground."

Just then, seeing an old bicycle and a pile of scrap laying nearby by the cave wall, Shaggy had an idea.

"Like, I believe Scoob and I have our solution!" He said.

Then, as quick as a fox, the duo raced off to the scrap while everyone looked on.

Seconds later, the duo were standing by a three-seat bicycle-helicopter hybrid vehicle.

"Like, Scooby Doo presents the 'Scooby-Dooby-Bike-O-Copter'!" Shaggy says once they were finished.

 **(Does this sound familiar from TSDS episode _The Curse of Viking Lake_?)**

"Reah!" Scooby said. "Re bike-o-copter!"

"Awesome!" Janet called from the cage. "Now get us down before that monster gets back!"

"Like, the Scooby-Dooby-Bike-o-Copter to the rescue!" Shaggy says as he and Scooby started pedalling and took off.

Seconds later, they arrived at the cage.

"Like, Scooby, you fly Janet and Janice to the ground while I wait up here with Daph." Shaggy says as he got off his seat and got on the cage.

"Roaky, Raggy." Scooby nodded as their two schoolmates took the two remaining seats.

As Scooby flew the two girls to the ground where Fred and Velma are waiting, Daphne turned to Shaggy.

"Oh, Shaggy." She smiled. "You guys sure arrived just in time. That Man Crab was planning on holding us captive for a ransom."

"Zoinks!" Shaggy remarked as he shared a comforting hug with her. "I sure hope he doesn't go out to claim a few more victims, not when the sheriff doesn't give a fuss about what's going on and still believe that it's a prank."

"Yeah." Daphne nodded. "And it's ironic, because he decided to follow through with then-Vice Principal Shore's suggestion to have us arrested for pulling pranks and causing mischief during the Dark Specter case last September, which we were falsely accused of back then."

 **(See _D3 SDMI: The Mystery Begins_ for details on the Case of the Dark Specter)**

"Indeed." Shaggy agreed as Scooby returns to pick them up after dropping Janet and Janice off with Fred and Velma.

The two friends took the remaining two seats, with Shaggy holding Daphne's hand to make sure she doesn't slip while trying to board the bike-o-copter.

Soon, the three friends were on their way back to the ground when Scooby noticed something in the dark shadows behind Velma.

It was a pair of familiar-looking eyes.

"Relma! Rook out!" Scooby shouted.

"Huh?" Velma asked as she turned around.

* * *

 **Please read and review!**


	7. The capture

Chapter 7: The capture

The figure standing behind Velma emerged from the dark shadows, revealing it to be the Man Crab.

"Jinkies!" Velma exclaimed as she quickly moved out of the way as the Man Crab swing its claw at her, narrowingly missing it.

"It's the Man Crab!" Fred exclaimed as Janice and Janet gasped.

The Man Crab responded by growling at the intruders that had freed its prisoners.

"Let's get out of here!" Velma suggested.

"Not a bad idea!" Janet agreed as they took off running.

As the Man Crab gives chase, it looked up and saw Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne on the bike-o-copter.

"Zoinks!" Shaggy said as the Man Crab forgets about the others and prepares to leap towards them.

"We'd better dive!" Daphne said as they stopped pedalling, causing them to fall towards the ground while the Man Crab jumps into the air and misses them.

"Now let's get out of here!" Shaggy says.

"Right rith rou!" Scooby nodded as he pulls a lever, activating the rear-facing propeller that allows the bike-o-copter to move forward in addition to flying up and down.

As the Man Crab gives chase to the bike-o-copter, Fred and the three girls approached the wooden stairway.

"This stairway looks like a fast way back to the beach." Janice said.

"Yeah." Velma said. "Except that we can't leave Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne behind!"

"We've got to attract the Man Crab's attention!" Fred says before eying some loose boards nearby and thought of something.

Meanwhile, the Man Crab was making more attempts to jump at Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne on the bike-o-copter with no success.

Just as it landed on the ground, a wooden board was suddenly thrown at it.

Growling, the Man Crab turned towards where the wooden board had came from.

"Hey lobster!" Fred shouted as Velma, Janet and Janice each threw a wooden board towards the monster. "Come pick on someone your own size!"

Forgetting about Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne, who took the chance to escape and located the exit of the caves, the Man Crab charged towards Fred and the girls.

"Let's move out of here!" Velma shouted as they started climbing the wooden stairway with Janet and Janice leading the way and Fred and Velma close behind.

The Man Crab followed the four up the stairway, trying to grab them as it followed them up the stairs.

At the cave entrance, Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne landed the bike-o-copter on the ground.

"We made it out, guys!" Daphne said. "But Fred and the girls are still in the cave!"

"Like, I got a feeling they're heading out through the stairway Fred discovered earlier." Shaggy said, remembering that Fred and the girls were standing near the stairway when he last saw them. "And I think I know where it leads to."

His mind then flashes through the time when he witnessed the Man Crab kidnapping Janice and Daphne.

SHAGGY'S FLASH VISION

Standing near the locker tent, Shaggy watched himself and the gang chasing the Man Crab, who had grabbed Janice.

He watched the Man Crab jumping into the tent before pausing his flash vision.

Walking towards where Daphne was later grabbed by the monster, Shaggy looked around the area before noticing a particular area where the sand is slightly lower than the surrounding area.

Armed with a shovel, he then started digging the area in question before hitting what sounded like metal, steel perhaps.

After clearing the area in question, Shaggy found himself looking down at a trap door.

Rewinding the footage of himself digging the hole, Shaggy then resumed playing his flash vision, where he and the gang have approached the main entrance of the tent.

Walking towards where himself and the gang are standing at, Shaggy noted that from the angle they were standing at, there was no way for them to see the Man Crab getting out in the entrance on the other side and dragging Janice down the trap door, hence the reason why they didn't spot any disturbances in the wooden floor of the tent when Fred torn the tent entrance open.

END OF FLASH VISION

"Where?" Daphne asked.

"Like, right by the rear entrance to the locker tent, Daph." Shaggy replied. "Which is the spot where the Man Crab grabbed you. Come on!"

With that remark, the trio started pedalling hard as the bike-o-copter started to take off again.

Back in the cave, Fred and the girls were racing up the stairway with the Man Crab in close pursuit.

"Hurry, Freddie!" Velma shouted. "It's still behind us!"

"I know." Fred said. "The stairway is about to give in in any minute!"

Eventually, the four reached the ladder near the ceiling, and Janet was quick to climb it, followed closely by Janice, Velma and Fred.

At the ceiling, the three girls then started pushing hard on the steel door to get it to open while Fred looks down and saw the Man Crab climbing the fourth last stairs.

"Hurry!" Fred shouted. "He's gaining on us!"

Above the steel door, Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne wasted no time digging at where Shaggy managed to pinpoint the location of the steel trapdoor.

A few seconds later, they managed to clear the sand and worked to pull the trapdoor open.

"You guys are just in time!" Janet said as they managed to get the door open and climb out.

"We sure are." Daphne nodded as Janice, Velma and Fred climbed out.

Without wasting another second, as soon as Fred climbed out, he quickly slammed the trapdoor shut before the Man Crab can climb out and grab them.

Being shut in by the trapdoor, the Man Crab pounded on the steel door frequently.

During this time, Shaggy and Scooby worked quick to disassemble the bike-o-copter and used the rods to produce a large cage, which they then build over the steel trapdoor.

"Wait for it..." Shaggy says as they listened to the pounding.

Eventually, the trapdoor opened, and the monster emerged from the caves, only to find itself trapped in the cage.

The Man Crab grabbed the bars and shook them, hoping that they will snap. However, the shaking did little to help free it.

"Nice try, you lobster." Shaggy said. "You wouldn't happen to know that Scoob and I managed to weld the parts of the cage together in five seconds, did you?"

The monster growled as the reality of it being trapping in the cage sunk in.

"Nice work, guys!" Janet smiled. "You've caught the monster!"

"Wait until the sheriff sees this." Fred added.

"Yeah." Shaggy said. "Like, his face sure is going to be redder than the Man Crab's skin!"

Daphne and Scooby both chuckled at his remark as Janet and Janice went to fetch the adults.

* * *

 **One more chapter to go! Stay tuned, and please read and review!**


	8. The unmasking & the tournament resumes

Chapter 8: The unmasking and the tournament resumes

Moments later, everyone was gathered around the captured Man Crab, including the sheriff, Principal Shore and Principal Trickell.

"Here it is, sheriff." Fred presented the captured Man Crab. "The Man Crab."

"The monster that was responsible for the kidnapping of Janet and Janice." Principal Shore added.

"Well, it looks like Rovenburg's prank on Central is busted." Stone said.

"It's not a prank, sheriff." Velma said as Fred and Shaggy proceeded to remove the Man Crab's mask. "The Man Crab is really..."

Just as the two boys removed the mask, everyone gasped when they saw a familiar-looking face in the costume.

"...Bud Coleman?!" Velma gasped.

"Jeepers!" Daphne said. "It can't be! He might have pulled the stunt to attract more people to the tournament, but why kidnap our schoolmates?"

"Hold it!" Shaggy said when he noticed something. "It's not really Bud Coleman here, man! Like, it's a mask!"

Everyone looked closely and saw the mask mark on the man's face.

"Shaggy's right!" Fred agreed. "There's someone else behind this mask!"

"Well, then who is it?" Stone asked.

Fred responded by pulling the mask off, revealing a face that looked familiar only to Principal Shore, who gasped.

"Why, I know this man!" Shore said. "He's Raja Ambrose, who was the school's beach volleyball coach when I was head of PE for Central 10 years ago!"

"Raja Ambrose...that name sounds familiar." Stone remarked as his deputies handcuffed the former coach.

"He's the rotten coach that took part in a fraud ring that deliberately fixed several beach volleyball matches, isn't he, James?" Principal Trickell asked Shore.

"That's right." Shore nodded. "He disgraced the school's name, and I caught wind of it when you complained to me that your team were playing so bad that they could have only done it on purpose, Peter. Eventually, I reported his conduct to the school board, who had him fired."

"He must be using this stunt to seek revenge on you and Principal Trickell, Principal Shore." Daphne said.

"Yeah, like, your testimony in his fraud trial was instrumental in him receiving his eight-year sentence." Shaggy added.

"Not to mention that Principal Trickell's complaint to you got the ball rolling in the first place." Fred said.

"The main clue we picked up was this old newspaper article detailing his involvement in the fraud and match-fixing ring, your testimony in his trial and his subsequent conviction." Velma said as she showed the adults the copy of the newspaper article she produced in the library.

"So it wasn't a prank afterall." Stone surmised. "He was seeking revenge by kidnapping your two students and sabotaging your school's chances of winning this competition, Principal Shore."

"That's right." Daphne nodded. "And he kidnapped me when I stood right by the trapdoor that lead to the caves, where he had held us prisoner and planned on holding us for ransom, once he got the others."

"Now that's disgusting, Mr. Ambrose." Principal Trickell spat. "My school will never use such means to win the tournament, even if our opponents is our rivals."

"Well, I was planning on getting millions from the ransom payments." The former beach volleyball coach said. "Had those meddling kids stayed out of the way, I would've gotten to the other players and get away with my revenge!"

"Well, too bad you'll be spending some significant time behind bars for kidnapping, Mr. Ambrose." Stone said as he signalled the deputies to escort the kidnapper to the police wagon.

"Say, there's something wrong." Principal Shore said when he remembered something. "What happened to Mr. Coleman? Is he simply an alias created by Ambrose after his release?"

At that moment, something occurred to Shaggy as he remembered hearing something in the locker tent prior to Daphne's capture by the Man Crab.

FLASHBACK

Just before the gang saw the Man Crab's claw heading for Daphne, Shaggy thought he had heard something in the locker tent.

"Sounded like a muffing." He thought.

However, before he could inquire, he and the gang saw the claw reaching for Daphne, with Scooby telling her to look out.

END OF FLASHBACK

"Like, I believe I may have the answer." Shaggy said.

* * *

Moments later, the gang and adults were in the locker tent, where Shaggy tries to pinpoint the source of the muffing noise he had heard seconds before spotting the Man Crab's claw heading for Daphne.

"If I'm not mistaken, that muffing noise came from this tall locker." Shaggy said as he walked over to the locker and opened it.

Sure enough, there was Bud Coleman tied up and gagged in the locker.

"Mr. Coleman!" Principal Trickell exclaimed.

"Now that explains everything." Shore said as the deputies untied Coleman.

"I guess that wraps up this mystery, gang." Fred said as he rubbed his hands before turning to the adults and added. "I suppose the tournament is going to resume, eh?"

"Yes." Trickell nodded. "My students are ready to kick it."

"Well, we'll see to that, Peter." Shore said as he shook hands with Principal Trickell in a competitive fashion.

* * *

Soon, the beach volleyball tournament between the two rival high schools has resumed with the nearby stadium lights on due to the darkness.

"I sure don't know how to thank you guys for your help." Janice said to the gang, who were seated at the front row right near the field, as they watched the tournament.

"Ah, there's no need to thank us, Janice." Velma replied. "We're just trying to help set things straight and make things safer for our schoolmates."

"Yeah." Shaggy agreed. "Like, after all, that's the spirit of the Central Fighting Urchins."

"Indeed it is, Shag." Fred agreed.

There was silence afterwards as they continued to watch the tournament.

While the two teams are evenly-matched, the Fighting Urchins relied more on their wits and skills while the Rovenburg Seagulls specialized in their strong teamwork.

After what seemed like hours, the Central Fighting Urchins was able to beat their long-time rivals by two-points and win the tournament.

"Yes!" Fred exclaimed as he pumped his fist in victory. "We've won!"

"Way to go, Fighting Urchins!" Velma shouted as she and Daphne high-fived each other.

"Like, that's the spirit of the Central Fighting Urchins!" Shaggy added.

"Well, it looks like that Man Crab did nothing to deter us from winning, kids." Principal Shore commented.

"Indeed, Principal Shore." Janice nodded as they watched their schoolmates shaking hands with the students of Rovenburg.

* * *

Soon, the gang were back on the Mystery Machine to head home.

"Wow, what a day." Fred remarked as he took the drivers seat.

"You said it, Freddie." Velma agreed. "I'm already exhausted from the day, particularly with the Man Crab mystery."

"Indeed." Daphne nodded. "Not to mention that the Man Crab dragged me down into the cave below and my spending almost the entire afternoon in the cage with Janet and Janice await rescue."

"Like, speaking of the caves, there's still one loose end that's bothering me." Shaggy said.

"What is it, Shaggy?" Fred asked as he started the engine.

"What exactly happened to the Mysteries Five?" Shaggy asked. "Like, based on the newspaper article Scoob and I found in the library, they disappeared in the caves."

"Perhaps the Man Crab grabbed them?" Fred offered.

"That's impossible, Fred." Daphne said. "If that was the case, how is it that Skipper Shelton didn't say that the Man Crab had appeared before?"

"Like, and besides, there's no record of anyone else disappearing near the caves after 1987." Shaggy added. "As far as we know anyways."

There was some silence in the Mystery Machine after that last remark while Daphne took a look at the locket, a shadow casting over her face as Shaggy and Scooby looked on.

* * *

 **And this concludes my revision of _Revenge of the Man Crab_ , folks.**

 **The adventure continues in _D3 SDMI: The Song of Mystery!_**


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